Nigel's big challenge for Macmillan Cancer Support
For most of us, a country walk might involve a few miles in some pretty surroundings with a well deserved drink in a village pub, but Outreach and Recruitment Officer Nigel Futter is taking it several steps (and kilometres) further with a 100km walk in the Peak District this summer, all for a good cause.
Starting and ending in Bakewell, Derbyshire, on Saturday 6 July, Nigel, 58, hopes to complete a gruelling circular route within 24 hours and will be joined by his two children, Leoni, 30 and Bobby, 26 for the first 50km.
This feat of endurance is the latest in a long line of challenges for Nigel, who has run six London marathons, several ultra marathons and even completed a swim across the English Channel to raise money for charity - coming face to face with a swarm of jellyfish on the way!
This time, his fundraising is for Macmillan Cancer Support in memory of his brother Martin, who sadly passed away from cancer earlier this year. Nigel also lost his wife Alwen to cancer 20 years ago, so for Nigel and his children, the walk will be a special one. He said: “I think this is a great event, for a great cause, in memory of a great man.
“My brother was big in stature, big in character and big in personality and always encouraged me in my other challenges, even though he thought I was crazy!
“This is my way of giving back, so that others can benefit from Macmillan’s support.
“Taking part in a big event like this also gives me something to focus on and I’ve found it very much part of the healing process while grieving.
“I shared my plan to take part in this challenge with my brother the day before he passed away and I hope to make him proud.”
Nigel’s preparation for the 100km walk is going well, with weekends devoted to training walks, building up to 16 hours on similar terrain in the next few weeks. He said: “It’s important to train both in the early morning and late at night, as the walk can take up to 24 hours, so I’ll be walking in the dark with a head torch. 'I need to train my body to walking in unusual times.
“We’ll be starting at 8am and taking it nice and comfortably so that we can make the most of the experience, My late brother’s wife will be coming along to cheer us on, which is great.”
The fundraising target is £1,300 and, along with sponsorship for the walk, Nigel will be holding a series of other events to boost the amount raised, including a raffle, cake sale and sweepstake for his finishing time.
If you would is better like to sponsor Nigel for his 100km walk, you can do so via JustGiving.